20120211

• The bad news (for California): Late freezes and untimely rain negatively impacted California's wine grape harvest just as vintners had predicted. The 2011 harvest was down 7% to 3.3 million tons. When table grapes are included, the overall tonnage of the California fruit still was down, by 3%.

• The good news (for all others): See above.

According to the preliminary harvest report released Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reduced supply has meant increased prices for California wines in general.

Napa County had the highest prices for grapes with an average $3,400 per ton, an increase if 5% from 2010. Grapes from Sonoma and Marin counties sold at an average of $2,081 a ton, up 3%.

Factoring in all wine grape-growing regions in California, the average price for red wine grapes went up 12% to $702 a ton, while for white it went up 8% to $541.